How to Get an Australian Work Visa

If you’d like to stay in Australia to work after graduating, you’ll need to apply for an Australian work visa. You can normally hold only one visa at a time, unless you have a bridging visa, so your new visa will come into effect as soon as it’s granted, replacing any older visas.

The most likely visa you’ll be applying for as an international graduate in Australia is the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). This lets those who’ve recently graduated from an Australian higher education institution stay in the country temporarily for work, travel or study.

This visa has two streams:

• Graduate work stream – For international students who graduate with an eligible qualification that relates to an occupation considered in-demand in the Australian labor market, according to the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). A visa in this stream is granted for 18 months.  
• Post-study work stream – This is for graduates of all other disciplines. The length of this visa depends on your qualification. If you have a bachelor’s degree, master's (extended) or master’s by coursework degree, your visa is valid for two years. If you have a master’s by research, the visa length is three years, while visas for PhD graduates are valid for four years.

If you have a ‘No Further Stay’ condition attached to your visa, you can still apply for this visa using Form 1409, which includes an application for the condition to be waived.

The requirements for the Temporary Graduate visa are:

• You must currently hold an eligible visa.
• You meet the health and character requirements.
• Valid health insurance
• Valid passport
• You must meet the specific requirements of the visa stream you’re applying to.
• Evidence that you meet the English requirement – if you’re from a non-English speaking country you’ll need to have reached a certain score in an English language test such as IELTS. You must have taken the test within the three years before you apply, and include the results in your visa application.
• You meet the Australian study requirement in the last six months.

To apply, you’ll first need to prepare your documents, proving that you meet all the requirements. These documents include your birth certificate, passport photos, letter from your health insurance provider, completion letters and course transcripts from your university, and more depending on your circumstances.

You should then lodge your application by post or online via your ImmiAccount, providing all your supporting documents and paying the visa application charge, which is currently AU$1,500 (~US$1,170) for you, plus extra for any accompanying family members. During the visa processing time, you may be eligible for a bridging visa, which allows you to stay in Australia while your visa application is processed. You might be asked to provide more information or attend a visa interview.

If you’d like to stay in Australia and become a permanent resident, there are a number of visas that allow you to do so. You can use the Department of Immigration’s Visa Finder to explore your options, which include:

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

This is a points-tested visa which lets skilled workers who are nominated by a state or territory government agency live and work in Australia as a permanent resident. As well as being nominated for a job on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL), you’ll need to have obtained the Suitable Skills Assessment for your profession. 

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)

This Australian work visa is open to applicants who have not been nominated by a state or territory. Again, your job will need to be in the SOL and you’ll need a Suitable Skills Assessment. To apply for this visa, you need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via an online form in SkillSelect (the government’s online system for ranking visa applicants). The EOI allows skilled workers to be found and nominated by employers, as well as state or territory governments. After completing your EOI, you’ll be given a score and ranked against other applicants in an automatic process. If eligible, you’ll be invited to apply for the Skilled Independent Visa.

To apply for an Australian work visa, you’ll usually need to pass and achieve a high score in the points test, which is used to help Australia select applicants who have the skills and attributes it needs. Points may be awarded for factors such as your English proficiency, Australian work experience and qualifications.